1) Maxiel will surpass Dyess in the lineup.
2) Sheed will have a career season.
3) 3-all stars. Billups, Rip and Sheed ( too many others players for Prince)
4) Prince increases his scoring to 16 PPG
5) Rebounds +/- actually improves
6) Mohammed starts most nights but only avg around 24 MPG. He will have a good season.
7) Orlando gets off to a good start but cannot sustain as the season continues. They finish 10 under .500 and have to give the Pistons their 15th pick.
8) Pistons record 56 wins. At least reaching the ECF for the 4th straight season.
9) Hunter has a good year and is able to satisfy the teams backup PG requirements.

Other Forum Favorites.
1) Darko has a good season but is unable to win a starting role. His agent puts them in a difficult positon by demanding 10+/yr based on his Potential.
2) Ben Wallace is not enough to lead the Bulls past the 2nd round. Bulls listen to trade offers ( remember they front-loaded his contract )

3) Off Topic - Rodney White makes a comeback. Look for him sometime this season to establish himself as a bench player for some team.

Pistons have 57 win season
Nazr averages 10.2 pts, 9.0 rebounds per game
Tayshaun's break out year. leads everyone in scoring averaging 23.0 pts per game
Joe listens to trade offers for Sheed
Sheeds takes less threes, plays consistently in the post, sits out 1-2 games for over the minimum in tech fouls
Tay makes the all star team
3 All stars, Rip, Billups and Tay
Murray and Delfino have record numers in pts per game
Pistons lead the league in team defense and rebounding and opp. ppg (I know I may sound crazy)
Joe makes a trade before trade deadline
JMax surpasses in McDyess in minutes per game
Pistons wins the NBA championship

this far, the predicitions are more like wishes...
I predict that...
... Sheed's numbers drop slightly
... Mc Dyess' numbers drop slightly (about 8ppg and 5rpg)
... Fino gets about 10-15mpg and has nice stats (10ppg, 4rpg, 1spg)
... Mohammed has a solid season (11ppg, 8rpg, 1+bpg)
... Billups will be about as good as last year...
... same for RIP...
...Tay won't be much better than last year...

10. Billups will avg 22.6 PPG but only 7.0 assists9. Delfino will be traded to Western Conf team8. Hamilton will be Piston MVP based on leadership alone7. Hunter and Murray will be new 'JUNK yard Dawgs"6. McDyess will avg more minutes tahn Nastzr5. Max will avg more minutes than Nastzr in playoff4. Prince will avg 12 PPg and be traded with Sheed to Minny for KG3. Sheed will avg 16ppg and have 12 techs by allstar break2. pistons finish 46-361. I WILL KILL FLIP WITH MY DEATH STAR!

* Pistons will win 50-52 games this season
* Nazr will play solid on both ends of the floor.
* The zone defense will actually work - at times...
* CB will be trying to hard and his ppg and apg will slightly drop from last year
* Delfino, Dyess, Murray, J-Max and co. will make up one of the best benches in the league.
* The Pistons will sweep the season series with the Bulls.
* Sheed will not miss any games due to techs, and will be the only Piston to make All Star team.
* Pistons will make it to at least ECF.

I'm with Max. 56 is the number that pops in my head. There is a part of me however that thinks it could be higher. I really think our bench is going to really help us out this year. Although I hated to see Ben go, I don't think we will be hurt too much. Yes, it's hard to lose a defensive player of the year, but you also have to add the offensive liability that he was. Add to that our improved bench, I can see us winning 56 this year if we stay relatively injury free.

5. Delfino will demand a trade by the end of the year, and will be dealt in a draft day package to move up. Also Amir, Supe Dupe, LH, Dale Davis, and possibly JMax will not return to make room for the new kids and FA's next year (Joe will draft the best big man available, then the best pg available).

4. We will rebound worse, have more to's, and less assists; but will shoot (and make) more fts, more points, and have a more complete team (starters & a bench)

3. Encouraged by Saunders, Blackholes rule, JMax's and Flip's shoot first philosophy will wax; as CB's, Rip's, Tay's, Delfino's, and Dice's team first attitude wanes.

I'm with Max. 56 is the number that pops in my head. There is a part of me however that thinks it could be higher. I really think our bench is going to really help us out this year. Although I hated to see Ben go, I don't think we will be hurt too much. Yes, it's hard to lose a defensive player of the year, but you also have to add the offensive liability that he was. Add to that our improved bench, I can see us winning 56 this year if we stay relatively injury free.

Click to expand...

It would seem we have a bench. But last year we started out with about the best backup point in the league in Arroyo. Delfino played plenty in the preseason. Darko led the team in minutes for the preseason. Things looked pretty darn good. But Flip managed to single handedly destroy the team by the playoffs. Darko played hardly any after the season started. Flip would not let Arroyo, a fine shooter, shoot the ball. And Flip preferred a guy who can't play the game, in Evans, vs. Delfino. Add to that he never did get Davis involved in the playoffs, nor did he play Cato one moment in the playoffs to guard Shaq.

Just because it is possible we will have a great bench, does not mean we will have one. Worst case, Mohammed drops out of the starting rotation, so then stinks up the 2nd unit. Flip stubbornly keeps playing old worn out Hunter even though Blalock looks to have a ton of upside. Flip relies solely on Murray as a backup guard. Maxiell wilts, not having anyone to pass to him on the 2nd unit, and gets in disfavor with Flip.

We enter the playoffs with Dyess starting, and the only the guys getting real bench minutes are Mohammed, Murray and Hunter. Hunter can't contribute to wins in the playoffs anymore, and Mohammed is a major dropoff from Ben.

Hey, yes, I hope upon hope that Flip will change his stripes, but I will not believe it until I see it. Until I see otherwise, I will assume Flip is going to try his best to destroy this team as fast as he can, or as fast as he thinks he can get away with.

1. Team starts fast and fans start expecting to contend again. The offense looks great and will sputter in the playoffs again. No all-stars though, which keeps everyone a bit sharp and avoids peaking too early. Assuming we don't get the Heat in the second round, we lose to them in the ECF after squeaking through the second to a team we should be able to handle decisively. That's assuming Flip lasts the season. If he gets canned, we have a shot at the Finals, but I don't think we're good enough to take it unless we see the old defence again. And I don't know how that's gonna happen without Ben.

2. Max bulls into the rotation, Flip's too insecure about his job to let Delfino play his way into the lineup. Just isn't in the cards for him here, but he's gonna be very good somewhere else.Flip Murray does one wonderful thing for every bad thing.

3. Rip and Tay are our most valuable players. Billups and Sheed -- I have no idea.

The idea above that the black holes on our bench make everyone else a little more selfish is an excellent idea. If we start underachieving, it gets ugly.

rip will be up for mvp consideration.
flip will be up for coach of the year consideration when we have the best record in the league after losing ben.
mcdyess and flip will be up for 6th man of the year.

Rip will decide to leave the mask on all the time... even at home
Sheed will not foul anyone the whole year... he may get whistled, but the replays will show that the plays were clean.
JMax will irrationally try to dunk a free throw.
Delfino will be called for palming violation in 2nd quarter of the 3rd home game. He will smile sarcastically as he runs back down the court.
Flip Saunders will be name 4th captain by all-star break.

I'll be interested in how hard balljay has to twist things here after Ben visits the Palace. If we've learned anything about Ben at all, we've found out that he's a proud, proud man. If he plays only 2 good games all year, they'll both be at the Palace.